Former Choctaw chief hospitalized

JACKSON — Phillip Martin, the former longtime chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, has been hospitalized in Jackson.

His condition was not immediately available.

A member of the tribe referred questions to Martin’s daughter, who he said was at St. Dominic Hospital with the 84-year-old former chief.

Daughter Debbie Lewis told The Associated Press she would not release any information until the family meets with doctors late yesterday, at which time they will issue a statement.

During Martin’s 32-year tenure ending in 2007, the Choctaws opened a $750-million resort with two casinos on tribal land in Neshoba County. He’s been praised for vastly improving the economic standing of the tribe.